谨以此片献给2013级OSU春季毕业生 To All 2013 OSU Spring Graduates
Thank you. 谢谢
Hello, Buckeyes! 你们好 Buckeye!
--==圣城家园SCG字幕组 http://hd.cnscg.com/ ==-- 协调: 潇潇秋叶梦 时间轴: 潇潇秋叶梦 翻译: CH被射之雕 校对: CH被射之雕(ECE, MS) 影子
- O H! - I O! - O H! - I O!
献给我的家人 朋友 我爱你们 Dedicated to my family and host families, friends. I love you.
Well, thank you so much. 非常感谢
Everybody, please be seated. 大家请坐
Thank you, Dr. Gee, for the wonderful introduction. 谢谢Gee校长精彩的介绍
I suspect the good President may have edited out some other words that were used to describe me. 我觉得 描绘一位好总统 有些用在我身上的词可能得删掉
I appreciate that. 不胜感激
But I'm going to let Michelle know of all the good comments. 但我会把这些赞誉告诉Michelle
To the Board of Trustees; Congresswoman Beatty; Mayor Coleman; 感谢董事会 国会的Beatty议员 Coleman市长
and all of you who make up The Ohio State University 以及俄亥俄州立大学的每一位
for allowing me to join you... it is an incredible honor. 让我能成为你们的一员... 感到无限光荣
And most of all, congratulations, Class of 2013! 首先 恭喜你们 2013级毕业生!
And of course, congratulations to all the parents, 当然 恭喜在座的所有学生父母
and family, and friends and faculty here in the Horseshoe... 亲人 朋友 以及教职员工...
this is your day as well. 今天也是你们的大日子
I've been told to ask everybody, though, 我得敬告大家一件事
please be careful with the turf. 请善待体育场草皮
Coach Meyer has big plans for this fall. 今秋 Meyer教练已经摩拳擦掌了
I very much appreciate the President's introduction. 非常感谢校长的介绍
I will not be singing today. 我今天不会唱歌了
Aww... 啊哈哈...
It is true that I did speak at that certain university up north a few years ago. 确实 几年前我曾在北边那所学校发表过演讲
But, to be fair, you did let President Ford speak here once... 但是 公平起见 你们也曾请福特总统在此演讲...
and he played football for Michigan! 他还是密歇根橄榄球队的一员!
So everybody can get some redemption. 所以 大家也都有罪要赎
In my defense, this is my fifth visit to campus in the past year or so. 恕我冒昧 这应该是我过去一年内第五次造访贵校
One time, I stopped at Sloppy's to grab some lunch. 有次 我在Sloppy吃的中饭
Many of you... Sloopy's... I know. 很多人... Sloopy... 我知道了
It's Sunday and I'm coming off a foreign trip. 是个周日 我刚从国外访问回来
Anyway, so I'm at Sloopy's and many of you were still eating breakfast. 总之 我那天在Sloopy 你们都还在吃早饭
At 11:30 a.m. On a Tuesday. 已经11点半了 还是周二
So, to the Class of 2013, 因此 对于2013级毕业生
I will offer my first piece of advice: Enjoy it while you can. 我的第一条建议是 及时行乐
Soon, you will not get to wake up and have breakfast at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday. 很快 你就不能周二11点半才起床吃早饭了
And once you have children, it gets even earlier. 有了孩子之后 你还得起更早
But, Class of 2013, your path to this moment has wound you through years of breathtaking change. 但是 2013级毕业生 走到这一刻 你们一路上充满了翻天覆地的变化
You were born as freedom forced its way through a wall in Berlin, 你们出生之时 自由冲破了柏林墙
tore down an Iron Curtain across Europe. 撕下了笼罩欧罗巴的铁幕
You were educated in an era of instant information 你们受教育之时 赶上了即时信息的好时代
that put the world's accumulated knowledge at your fingertips. 人类文明积淀下来的知识在指尖掌握
And you came of age as terror touched our shores; 你们成年之时 恐怖袭击蔓延到了美国领土
and an historic recession spread across the nation; 本国遭遇了史无前例的经济衰退
and a new generation signed up to go to war. 新一代年轻人 报名走上了前线
So you've been tested and you've been tempered by events that your parents 你们所经历的一切考验 所承受的一切痛楚 是你们的父母
and I never imagined we'd see when we sat where you sit. 还有我 当初毕业之时 所未曾想象过的
And yet, despite all this, or perhaps because of it, 但尽管如此 或者也许正因如此
yours has become a generation possessed with that most American of ideas... 你们这一代 代表了美国的精神...
that people who love their country can change it for the better. 热爱祖国的人 也能改善国家
For all the turmoil, for all the times you've been let down, 所有的苦难 所有的失望
or frustrated at the hand that you've been dealt, 以及所有亲手埋葬的沮丧
what I have seen... what we have witnessed from your generation... 我感同身受... 我们在你们身上看到了...
is that perennial, quintessentially American value of optimism; 传统美国人民亘古不变的乐观
altruism; empathy; tolerance; a sense of community; 无私 富含同情心 坚忍 集体感
a sense of service... all of which makes me optimistic for our future. 以及责任感... 我因此对我们的未来充满信心
Consider that today, 50 ROTC cadets in your graduating class 今天 毕业生中的50名后备役军官训练学员
will become commissioned officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. 将成为美国陆军 海军 空军 及潜艇上的指挥官
A hundred and thirty of your fellow graduates have already served... 你们中有130人已经服役过...
some in combat, some on multiple deployments. 有上过前线 有在多个岗位服役
Of the 98 veterans earning bachelor's degrees today, 98名退伍军人将拿到学士学位
20 are graduating with honors, 其中20人将获得"荣誉学生"称号
and at least one kept serving his fellow veterans 至少有一人 退伍后还继续为他的战友服务
when he came home by starting up a campus organization called Vets4Vets. 他回到家乡 成立了名为Vets4Vets的校园组织
And as your Commander-in-Chief, 作为你们的首席指挥官
I could not be prouder of all of you. 我感到无比骄傲
Consider that graduates of this university serve their country through the Peace Corps, 我们的毕业生中 有人参加Peace Corps继续为国家服务
and educate our children through established programs like Teach for America, 有些致力于孩童教育 例如Teach for America这种已有组织
startups like Blue Engine, Blue Engine这种新进组织
often earning little pay for making the biggest impact. 薪水甚微 但影响深远
Some of you have already launched startup companies of your own. 你们有人已经成立了自己的公司
And I suspect that those of you who pursue more education, 而对于那些继续求学的人
or climb the corporate ladder, or enter the arts or science or journalism, 在公司为升职打拼的人 为艺术 科学或者新闻事业献身的人
you will still choose a cause that you care about in your life 你们都仍然会选择人生中所在乎的行业
and will fight like heck to realize your vision. 并且通过不懈努力 来实现你们的目标
There is a word for this. 有个词可以概括
It's citizenship. "公民意识"
And we don't always talk about this idea much these days... 最近我们似乎很少谈及这种意识...
citizenship... let alone celebrate it. 公民意识... 更别说为之欢呼
Sometimes, we see it as a virtue from another time, a distant past, 有时候 我们把它看成另一个时代的美德 很久之前的时代
one that's slipping from a society that celebrates individual ambition above all else; 不是这个强调个人抱负至上的时代
a society awash in instant technology 也不是这个淹没在现代科技的时代
that empowers us to leverage our skills and talents like never before, 科技能让我们前所未有地应用自己的技能与才干
but just as easily allows us to retreat from the world. 但也轻易能让我们与世界隔离
And the result is that we sometimes forget the larger bonds we share as one American family. 结果就是 我们有时忘记了 作为一个大家庭 我们拥有更大层面上的联系
But it's out there, all the time, every day... 但这个联系一直存在 每时每刻 每日每夜...
especially when we need it most. 尤其在我们最需要它的时候
Just look at the past year. 就说去年
When a hurricane struck our mightiest city, 当飓风侵袭了我们最强大的城市
and a factory exploded in a small town in Texas, 当德州小镇工厂爆炸
we saw citizenship. 我们见识了公民意识
When bombs went off in Boston, 当炸弹引爆波士顿
and when a malevolent spree of gunfire visited a movie theater, 当恶毒的子弹疯狂地扫过影院
a temple, an Ohio high school, a 1st grade classroom in Connecticut, 庙宇 俄亥俄高中 康州一年级教室
we saw citizenship. 我们见识了公民意识
In the aftermath of darkest tragedy, 在最灰暗的惨剧之后
we have seen the American spirit at its brightest. 我们看到了最光辉的美利坚精神
We've seen the petty divisions of color and class 我们看到 肤色 阶层及宗教信仰
and creed replaced by a united urge to help each other. 这些微小的区别 被共同的热忱所替代 大家互帮互助
We've seen courage and compassion, a sense of civic duty, 我们看到了勇气 同情 公民责任感
and a recognition we are not a collection of strangers; 以及认同感 我们不再是一群陌生人
we are bound to one another by a set of ideals and laws and commitments, 一系列的理想 法律 承诺 还有对这片土地的深情
and a deep devotion to this country that we love. 把我们紧紧联系在了一起
And that's what citizenship is. 这就是公民意识
It's at the heart of our founding... that as Americans, 它根植在这片土地... 作为美利坚民族
we are blessed with God-given talents and inalienable rights, 我们享有上帝赐予的才干 以及不可剥夺的权利
but with those rights come responsibilities... to ourselves, 但是 与权利随之而来的 是责任... 对我们自己
and to one another, and to future generations. 对他人 对未来的责任
Now, if we're being honest with ourselves, 坦诚来说
as you've studied and worked and served to become good citizens, 你们学习 工作以及服役的目的 就是成为好的公民
the fact is that all too often the institutions 事实上 太多时候 构成社会的
that give structure to our society have, at times, betrayed your trust. 一干机构 时常会背叛你们的信任
In the run-up to the financial crisis, too many on Wall Street forgot that 金融危机日益剧增之后 华尔街上太多人已然忘却
their obligations don't end with what's happening with their shares. 自己的职责不仅仅局限于自己的股份
In entertainment and in the media, 娱乐界和新闻界
ratings and shock value often trump news and storytelling. 常常过于追求收视率和价值观冲击 而非播报实事新闻
In Washington... well, this is a joyous occasion, 在华盛顿... 这是个欢乐的场合
so let me put it charitably... 我就说得好听点吧...
I think it's fair to say our democracy isn't working as well as we know it can. 我觉得 我们的民主并未像我们所知道的一样 得到充分发挥 这么说并不偏颇
It could do better. 还能做得更好
And so those of us fortunate enough to serve in these institutions 在座当中 有能在这些机构工作的幸运儿
owe it to you to do better every single day. 要相信 自己有必要每天都做得更好
And I've been thinking a lot lately 我最近时常在想
about how we can keep this idea of citizenship in its fullest sense 我们怎么才能把公民意识在全国范围内
alive at the national level... not just on Election Day, 充分发挥... 不仅仅是大选之日
not just in times of tragedy, but all the days in between. 不仅仅是悲剧之后 而是每一天
And perhaps because I spend a lot of time in Washington, 也许因为我绝大部分时间是在华盛顿
I'm obsessed with this issue 我时刻牵挂
because that sense of citizenship is so sorely needed there. 因为这里非常需要公民意识
And I think of what your generation's traits... 然后我想到你们这一代的烙印...
compassion and energy, and a sense of selflessness... 同情心 正能量 大公无私...
might mean for a democracy that must adapt more quickly 对于这种民主来说 意义非凡 因为需要
to keep up with the speed of technological and demographic, 更加迅速地适应并紧跟科技 人口
and wrenching economic change. 以及经济的变化
I think about how we might perpetuate this notion of citizenship in a way 我想过该如何延续公民意识的理念 如何按照
that another politician from my home state of Illinois, 我家乡伊利诺伊州一位政治家
Adlai Stevenson, once described patriotism not as Adlai Stevenson所描述的那样 爱国主义 不是
"short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, "短暂的 狂热的感情迸发
but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." 而是毕生平静而坚定的奉献"
That's what patriotism is. 这才是爱国主义
That's what citizenship is. 这才是公民意识
Now, I don't pretend to have all the answers. 我不会说我能回答所有问题
I'm not going to offer some grand theory on a beautiful day like this... 我也不会在这么个大好日子说些冠冕堂皇的教条...
you guys all have celebrating to do. 你们要的是庆祝
I'm not going to get partisan, either, 我也不会做党派之争
because that's not what citizenship is about. 因为这也不是公民意识所在
In fact, I'm asking the same thing of you that President Bush did 事实上 我要求的 同当年布什总统
when he spoke at this commencement in 2002: 在2002年毕业典礼上的要求 如出一辙
"America needs more than taxpayers, spectators, and occasional voters," "美国需要的不仅仅是纳税人 围观群众以及间歇的选民"
he said. "America needs full-time citizens." 他说 "美国需要全心全意的公民"
And as graduates from a university whose motto is 作为毕业生 贵校的办学理念是
"Education for Citizenship," "培养公民意识的教育"
I know all of you get that this is what you've signed up for. 我想你们都很清楚 所以你们才会来到这里
It's what your country expects of you. 也是国家对你们的期望
So briefly, I'll ask for two things from the Class of 2013: to participate, 简单来说 我对2013级毕业生提出两点要求: 参与
and to persevere. 并坚持
After all, your democracy does not function without your active participation. 毕竟 没有积极的参与 你们的民主也不会正常运作
At a bare minimum, that means voting, eagerly and often... 至少 这意味着投票 尽早地 经常地投票...
not having somebody drag you to it at 11:30 a.m. 不是等11点半吃早饭的时候
when you're having breakfast. 才被人拉过去投票
It means knowing who's been elected to make decisions on your behalf, 而是意味着 知道谁会被选出来 并代表你作出决策
and what they believe in, 知道他们相信什么
and whether or not they delivered on what they said they would. 知道他们是否言行一致
And if they don't represent you the way you want, 如果他们没有像你希望的那样代表你
or conduct themselves the way you expect, 或者言行没有达到你的预期
if they put special interests above your own, 如果他们把特殊利益置于你的利益之上
you've got to let them know that's not okay. 你要让他们知道 这样不对
And if they let you down often enough, 如果他们经常让你失望
there's a built-in day in November 11月的一天(大选之日)
where you can really let them know it's not okay. 你可以真正让他们知道 他们做得不对
But participation, your civic duty, is more than just voting. 但是作为公民的职责 你的参与不仅仅是投票
You don't have to run for office yourself... 你们不需要自己参加竞选...
but I hope many of you do, at all levels, 但我希望你们能够参选 不管哪个层次
because our democracy needs you. 因为我们的民主需要你
And I promise you, it will give you a tough skin. 我向你保证 你会变得更加强大
I know a little bit about this. 我对此略有体会
President Wilson once said, "If you want to make enemies, 威尔逊总统曾说过 "如果你想找对手
try to change something." 那么就不要安于现状"
And that's precisely what the Founders left us... 这正是我们国家的奠基者留给我们的...
the power, each of us, to adapt to changing times. 我们每一个人 能够适应时代变化的力量
They left us the keys to a system of self-government, 他们给我们留下了自治政府体系的钥匙
the tools to do big things and important things together 是我们一起成就一番事业的工具
that we could not possibly do alone... 而这些事业 我们无力单独完成...
to stretch railroads and electricity 比如在广袤的陆地上
and a highway system across a sprawling continent. 修建铁路 电力以及高速公路
To educate our people with a system of public schools 建立公共学校和授地大学体系 为人民
and land-grant colleges, 提供教育
including The Ohio State University. 其中包括俄亥俄州立大学
To care for the sick and the vulnerable, 关爱老弱病残
and provide a basic level of protection from falling into abject poverty 为他们提供帮助 不至于在世界上最富裕的国家
in the wealthiest nation on Earth. 还身陷贫困
To conquer fascism and disease; 征服法西斯主义和疾病
to visit the Moon and Mars; 造访月球和火星
to gradually secure our God-given rights for all of our citizens, 并逐渐确保上帝赋予所有公民的权利
regardless of who they are, or what they look like, 不管他们是谁 长相如何
or who they love. 所爱何人
We, the people, chose to do these things together... 我们人民 选择同心协力...
because we know this country cannot accomplish great things 因为我们知道 国家将一事无成
if we pursue nothing greater than our own individual ambition. 如果我们所追求的 只有个人的抱负
Unfortunately, you've grown up hearing voices 不幸的是 成长路上 你们总能听到闲言碎语
that incessantly warn of government as nothing more than some separate, 不断告诫你们 说政府就是一些各自为政的
sinister entity that's at the root of all our problems; 邪恶团体 他们才是我们所有问题的根源
some of these same voices also doing their best to gum up the works. 同样的声音 有些会竭尽所能来搞破坏
They'll warn that tyranny is always lurking just around the corner. 它们会警告说 暴君随时都会出现
You should reject these voices. 你们已经抵制这些声音
Because what they suggest is that our brave and creative 因为它们认为 我们勇敢的 创新的
and unique experiment in self-rule is somehow just a sham 独一无二的实验来实行自治 不过是个骗局
with which we can't be trusted. 我们不能给予信任
We have never been a people who place all of our faith in government 我们美利坚民族 从来就不会把所有的信念寄托在政府上
to solve our problems; we shouldn't want to. 来解决我们的问题 我们也不应该那样
But we don't think the government is the source of all our problems, either. 但我们也应该知道 政府不是所有问题的根源
Because we understand that this democracy is ours. 因为我们知道 民主是我们的
And as citizens, we understand that it's not about what America can do for us; 作为公民 我们知道 不是"美国能为我们做什么"
it's about what can be done by us, together, 是"我们一起可以做什么"
through the hard and frustrating but absolutely necessary work of self-government. 那就是通过历经磨难 但又必不可少的自治政府
And, Class of 2013, you have to be involved in that process. 2013级毕业生 你们就是这洪流中的一员
The founders trusted us with this awesome authority. 国家的奠基人将如此神圣的权利托付我们
We should trust ourselves with it, too. 我们就应该相信我们自己
Because when we don't, when we turn away 因为如果我们不相信自己 如果我们放弃了
and get discouraged and cynical, 灰心丧气 愤世嫉俗
and abdicate that authority, 放弃这个权利
we grant our silent consent to someone who will gladly claim it. 我们把权利 默许给那些迫不及待想窃取的人
That's how we end up with lobbyists who set the agenda; 最终的结果就是 说客为了定下议程
and policies detached from what middle-class families face every day; 这些政策丝毫不为中产阶级家庭每天的遭遇着想
the well-connected who publicly demand that Washington stay out of their business... 上层阶级可以公然要求政府不要干涉他们...
and then whisper in government's ear for special treatment that you don't get. 然后又对政府悄声耳语索求你们得不到的待遇
That's how a small minority of lawmakers get cover 这样 少数群体的立法者得以
to defeat something the vast majority of their constituents want. 忤逆大多数选民的意愿
That's how our political system gets consumed by small things 这样我们的政治体系就被这些琐事所拖累
when we are a people called to do great things... 而我们本来应该有所作为...
like rebuild a middle class, and reverse the rise of inequality, 重建中产阶级 抑制不平等增长势头
and repair the deteriorating climate "修复"日益恶化的气候
that threatens everything we plan to leave for our kids and our grandkids. 现在的气候 已经威胁到了我们计划留给后代的一切
Class of 2013, only you can ultimately break that cycle. 2013级毕业生 只有你们才能最终打破这个恶性循环
Only you can make sure the democracy you inherit 只有你们 才能确保继承的民主
is as good as we know it can be. 能如我们所知一样 运作正常
But it requires your dedicated, and informed, and engaged citizenship. 但是这需要你们奉献的 认知的 投入的公民意识
And that citizenship is a harder, higher road to take, 这种公民意识 路途将愈发艰难
but it leads to a better place. 但终将通往更好的未来
It's how we built this country... together. 我们才能建设好国家... 同心协力
It's the question that President Kennedy posed to the nation at his inauguration. 这是肯尼迪总统在就职典礼上对整个国家提出的问题
It's the dream that Dr. King invoked. 是马丁·路德·金博士所祈求的梦想
It does not promise easy success or immediate progress... 这条路不能保证一蹴而就 或者立竿见影的进步...
but it has led to success, and it has led to progress. 但它已经通往了成功 通往了进步
And it has to continue with you. 这条路也将由你们延续下去
Which brings me to the second thing I ask of all of you... 也就有了我对你们的第二个要求...
I ask that you persevere. 我要求你们坚持不懈
Whether you start a business, or run for office, 不管是创办公司 竞选议员
or devote yourself to alleviating poverty or hunger, 还是致力于消除贫困 或者饥饿
please remember that nothing worth doing happens overnight. 请记住 没有一夜成功的事
A British inventor named Dyson went through more than 5,000 prototypes 英国发明家戴森试验了5千多个模型
before getting that first really fancy vacuum cleaner just right. 才发明了第一个真正可用的真空吸尘器
We remember Michael Jordan's six championships; 我们都记得迈克尔·乔丹的6个总冠军
we don't remember his nearly 15,000 missed shots. 却不记得他那将近1万5千个球没投中的球
As for me, I lost my first race for Congress, and look at me now... 我自己 我第一次竞选国会就失败了 但瞧我现在...
I'm an honorary graduate of The Ohio State University. 我成了俄亥俄州立大学的荣誉毕业生
The point is, if you are living your life to the fullest, 总而言之 要想生活得充实
you will fail, you will stumble, you will screw up, 你会失败 会跌倒 会犯错
you will fall down. 你会跌倒
But it will make you stronger, 但你会变得更强
and you'll get it right the next time, 下次你就能成功
or the time after that, or the time after that. 或者再下次 甚至再下次
And that is not only true for your personal pursuits, 这不仅仅适用于你个人的追求
but it's also true for the broader causes that you believe in as well. 同样适用于你所信奉的更伟大事业
So you can't give up your passion if things don't work right away. 就算不一帆风顺 不要放弃
You can't lose heart, or grow cynical 不要灰心丧气 不要变得愤世嫉俗
if there are twists and turns on your journey. 就算旅途千回百折
The cynics may be the loudest voices... but I promise you, 愤世嫉俗的人 也许声音最大... 但我向你保证
they will accomplish the least. 他们成就也会最小
It's those folks who stay at it, 只有那些坚持不懈的人
those who do the long, hard, committed work of change 能够长期坚定不移努力的人
that gradually push this country in the right direction, 才能把这个国家逐渐推向正确的方向
and make the most lasting difference. 并且创造最深远的影响
So whenever you feel that creeping cynicism, 因此 当你听到那些冷言冷语
whenever you hear those voices saying you can't do it, 当别人质疑你无法成功
you can't make a difference, 说你所做毫无意义
whenever somebody tells you to set your sights lower... 当有人告诉你 把眼光放低...
the trajectory of this great nation should give you hope. 这个伟大国家的轨迹 应该能给予你希望
What generations have done before you should give you hope. 过去的人所成就的一切 应该能给予你希望
Because it was young people just like you who marched and mobilized 因为正是你们一样的年轻人 游行 动员
and stood up and sat in to secure women's rights, 坚持 静坐 才争取到了妇女的权利
and voting rights, and workers' rights, and gay rights... 投票的权利 工人的权利 同性恋的权力...
often at incredible odds, often at great danger, 经常是面对难以想象的困难 无与伦比的危险
often over the course of years, 经常持续经年
sometimes over the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime... 有时候甚至是毕生平静而坚定的奉献...
and they never got acknowledged for it, 他们也许都不曾为人所知
but they made a difference. 但他们做到了
And even if their rights were already secured, 即使当他们争取到自己的权利之后
there were those who fought to secure those same rights and opportunities for others. 还有人为了其他人享有同样的权利和机会而继续奋斗
And that should give you some hope. 他们所做的一切 应该能给予你希望
Where we're going should give you hope. 我们前进的方向 应该能给予你希望
Because while things are still hard for a lot of people, 因为 虽然对大多数人来说 一切都还很艰难
you have every reason to believe that your future is bright. 你们要有足够理由相信 未来充满光明
You're graduating into an economy and a job market that is steadily healing. 你们毕业之时 经济和工作市场正在缓慢复苏
The once-dying American auto industry is on pace for its strongest performance in 20 years... 曾经濒死的美国汽车工业也将迎来20年来最长足的发展
something that means everything to many communities in Ohio and across the Midwest. 这对于俄亥俄和中西部很多社区来说 就意味着一切
Huge strides in domestic energy, 国内能源正大步流星
driven in part by research at universities like this one, 正是受益于像俄州大这样的大学科研
have us on track to secure our own energy future. 确保了我们未来能源的安全
Incredible advances in information and technology spurred largely 信息技术上的惊人进步 同样得益于
by the risk-takers of your generation have the potential 你们一代年轻人中的冒险者 将有可能
to change the way we do almost everything. 改变我们几乎一切行事方式
There is not another country on Earth 世界上没有任何国家
that would not gladly change places with the United States of America. 不愿意欣然同美国交换位置的
And that will be true for your generation 你们这一代也同样如此
just as it was true for previous generations. 正如你们所有的前辈一样
So you've got a lot to look forward to, 因此你们有很多期待
but if there's one certainty about the decade ahead, 不过 如果说未来十年内有什么是可以确定的
it's that things will be uncertain. 那就是 一切都不确定
Change will be a constant, just as it has been throughout our history. 改变一直会有 正如它充斥我们的历史一样
And, yes, we still face many important challenges. 是的 我们将面对重要的挑战
Some will require technological breakthroughs or new policy insights. 有些需要技术突破 或者新政洞悉
But more than anything, what we will need is political will... 但更重要的是 我们需要的是政治意愿...
to harness the ingenuity of your generation, 利用你们这一代人的创造力
and encourage and inspire the hard work of dedicated citizens. 鼓励和激励自我奉献的公民艰苦奋斗
To repair the middle class, to give more families a fair shake, 修复中产阶级 让更多家庭有公平待遇
to reject a country in which only a lucky few prosper 反对只有少数人富裕的国家
because that's antithetical to our ideals and our democracy... 因为这同我们的理想和民主是对立的...
all of this is going to happen if you are involved, 只有你们能参与进来 一切才有所可能
because it takes dogged determination... 因为这需要坚定不移的信念...
the dogged determination of our citizens. 需要我们公民坚定不移的信念
To educate more children at a younger age, 让更多孩童更早接受教育
and to reform our high schools for a new time, 改革我们的中学来适应新的时代
and to give more young people the chance to earn the kind of education 让更多的年轻人能像你们一样 有机会在俄亥俄州立大学
that you did at The Ohio State University, 接受同等的教育
and to make it more affordable 而且能承担起学费的同时
so young people don't leave with a mountain of debt... 不用去背负山一样的债务...
that will take the care and concern of citizens like you. 这需要像你们一样公民的关心及关注
To build better roads and airports and faster Internet, 建设更好的道路 机场 以及更好的网络
and to advance the kinds of basic research and technology 推进各类基础研究技术
that's always kept America ahead of everybody else... 让美国能时刻保持领先...
that will take the grit and fortitude of citizens. 这需要公民的勇气和刚毅
To confront the threat of climate change before it's too late... 及时应对气候变化的威胁...
that requires the idealism and the initiative of citizens. 这需要公民的理想和自发意识
To protect more of our kids from the horrors of gun violence... 保护更多的孩子免受枪支暴力的恐惧...
that requires the unwavering passion, 这需要公民坚定不移的激情
the untiring resolve of citizens. 以及坚持不懈的决心
It will require you. 我们需要你们
Fifty years ago, President Kennedy told the class of 1963 50年前 肯尼迪总统对1963级毕业生说
that "our problems are man-made... therefore, "我们的问题都是人为的... 因此
they can be solved by man. 人们也能解决问题
And man can be as big as he wants." 人想有多伟大 就能有多伟大"
We're blessed to live in the greatest nation on Earth. 我们有幸生活在世界上最伟大的国家
But we can always be greater. 但我们总可以做得更好
We can always aspire to something more. 我们总可以追求更好的生活
That doesn't depend on who you elect to office. 这不取决于你们选了谁
It depends on you, as citizens, how big you want us to be, 而取决于作为公民的你们 想要我们有多伟大
how badly you want to see these changes for the better. 想要更好生活的决心有多大
And look at all that America has already accomplished. 看看美国所取得的一切成就
Look at how big we've been. 看看我们多么伟大
I dare you, Class of 2013, to do better. 2013级毕业生 你们敢不敢做得更好
I dare you to dream bigger. 你们敢不敢有更远大的梦想
And from what I've seen of your generation, 就我在你们这代人身上所看到的一切
I'm confident that you will. 我坚信你们会做到
And so I wish you courage, and compassion, 我祝愿你们拥有所需的勇气 同情
and all the strength that you will need for 以及所有的力量
that tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. 来实现毕生平静而坚定的奉献
Thank you. 谢谢你们
God bless you, and God bless these United States of America. 上帝保佑你们 上帝保佑美利坚合众国